Vice Pres. Sara Duterte Speaks on Reported ICC Arrest Warrant vs. Sen. Bato dela Rosa
SARA DUTERTE – The Vice President claimed that she is ready to recommend an international lawyer to Sen. Bato dela Rosa if he will be arrested.
Recently, after several months since Sen. Bato dela Rosa first claimed that he is allegedly the person that the ICC wants to arrest next after former Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Ombudsman Boying Remulla claimed that an ICC arrest warrant against Sen. Bato dela Rosa was allegedly issued. According to him, the information allegedly came from the acting Secretary of Justice.
According to Atty. Israelito Torreon, the lawyer of Sen. Dela Rosa, they have yet to verify if an arrest warrant was really issued by the ICC against the Senator. He expressed their trust that the Philippine government will uphold the rule of law and exercise due process in case the foreign court has indeed issued an arrest warrant against the lawmaker.
Sen. Bato dela Rosa was the first chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) during the tenure of former Pres. Rodrigo Duterte. Following the arrest of Duterte, he claimed a few times that he wants to visit his former boss in The Hague, Netherlands. He claimed that Duterte is already a second father to him.
However, there were also instances when Dela Rosa admitted that hiding is one of his options in case the ICC will issue an arrest warrant against him. Previously, he claimed that he will seek the protection that the Senate can afford him.
Sen. Bato dela Rosa recently skipped the Senate plenary session amid the report ICC arrest warrant against him. Recently, during her visit in the province of Negros Occidental to meet and deliver relief assistance to the victims of Typhoon Tino, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte spoke about the reported ICC arrest warrant against the former PNP chief.
Based on a report on Inquirer, Vice Pres. Sara Duterte is ready to recommend an international lawyer to Sen. Bato dela Rosa if he will be arrested by the ICC. The Vice President claimed that she has no verified information on the alleged arrest order but she already warned the Senator for any action by the foreign court.
“What I told him was that his preparation should begin with choosing an international law expert, a lawyer with experience before the ICC, who can advise him on what steps he should take,” she said.
Vice Pres. Sara Duterte claimed that she called Sen. Bato dela Rosa and was able to talk to his son, Rocky. Based on the report, she offered to recommend a British lawyer who is based in England if the Senator is interested.
“And I told Rocky that if Senator Bato dela Rosa is interested in getting a lawyer, I can recommend one – a British counsel based in England, an international law expert,” the Vice President said.
Recently, amid neither of the ICC nor the DOJ confirming the supposed arrest warrant, Ombudsman Boying Remulla claimed that he allegedly has a copy of the ICC arrest warrant against Sen. Bato dela Rosa.